EECO Expands into Virginia with Williams Supply Acquisition

Electrical Equipment Company (EECO), Raleigh, N.C., announced that it will acquire Williams Supply Inc., a combination of Top 200 distributors that extends EECO’s territory authorization from Rockwell Automation throughout Virginia.

The acquisition of Williams, combined with Electrical Equipment Co.’s recent acquisition of the Lynchburg, Va., branch of Eck Supply, places EECO among the largest distributors of Rockwell products in the United States.

Williams Supply, based in Roanoke, Va., was founded in 1946 and now operates five locations with 58 employees serving the I-81 corridor. Williams serves a diverse, heavy industrial market including metals, paper, rubber, automotive, and food and beverage. The company’s five locations will continue to operate under the Williams Supply name, said an EECO release.

Williams Supply’s management sees a combination with Electrical Equipment Co. as a positive move for the company. “This is a natural fit with a lot of synergy. We are increasing our combined capabilities and providing tremendous opportunity for our employees,” Tom Moody, president and CEO of Williams Supply, said.

“We are very excited about both the Williams and Eck Lynchburg teams, and this increased commitment to our industrial business,” Electrical Equipment Co.’s President and CEO Jack Lawson said. “This is a great opportunity and we are looking forward to additional expansion.”

Founded in 1926, EECO is an electrical distributor and industrial service provider specializing in automation, motor and electrical usage needs. With the addition of Williams Supply, EECO has a total of 355 associates and operates 19 locations from Virginia to Georgia.

Both electrical distributors are very familiar names in the electrical business and are longtime stalwarts on Electrical Wholesaling’s annual Top 200 lists. In the 2015 list, Electrical Equipment Co. placed at #75 with $110,001,000 in 2014 sales and Williams Supply held the #151 spot with no published sales figure but somewhere above $37.5 million in sales.